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Auzoux & Bauz Portrait Petzval 300mm F3.8

€990.00 Sold Out

Important Notice: i will be at the storage untill February the 25th. If you want to order a lens or camera, please use this time window. Starting from March i will be travelling again for at least 1-2 months and wont be able to ship any items during that time period.



History: A very interesting Portrait petzval for the 8x10 format. As with many early french makers, the lens is not engraved on the outer housing,  but it is rather marked with a lead pencil on the front element with:

'No 8.039 - Auzoux & Bauz - OPTns FABts - Paris'

It was made by a very early and small french manufacturer Auzoux. Since the early 1850ies Auzoux specialized in optical equipment for Dageurrotype cameras and later the wetplate proccess. In any period his lenses were known for fantastic optical aswell as great built quality. He had many cooparations in the 1860ies, for example with Francais (Auzoux & Francais) or with Bauz (Auzoux & Bouz). This specimen can be dated back to the late 1860ies.



Condition: The lens is in very nice and authentic condition. The brass of the lens comes with a warm patina, showing only minimal wear. The rack & pinion is comple and is still working. The glass is in really quite good condition, there are a couple of cleaning marks, but overall its very clear. All in all i tested this baby on the ground glass and the image was very nice with a tack sharp center and a nice falloff.


This lens has about 300mm focal lenght (12") and an open aperture of F3.8. It will work for 8x10 format and maybe even 10x12 with a nice petzval character especially at portrait distance.


Lens comes with a fitting flange.





height: 16cm
width: 10cm
weight: 1400gr





Insured and tracked shipping cost:

Germany - 10 eur
EU* - 30 eur
Worldwide - 90 eur


*(the site offers only 2 shipping variations, DE and worldwide. buyers from EU please either contact me beforehand for a reduced EU cost, or after buying so i can send a refund over the difference)







Importent Note: This item comes from my private collection and is around 100 years old (antique). I try my best to describe all the faults and major damage which are relevant for the function of this item. But the actuall item can show signs of wear and also some cosmetic blemishes/damage which is not described in the auction text! When buying this item the buyer agrees to this terms.

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